A Perfect Reflection

As the sun crept closer to the horizon, I crouched behind my camera and looked across the lake.  In the predawn light, the trees were mirrored in the glassy surface of the lake.  A bird began to sing and I framed the image, trying to capture a little bit of the symmetry and beauty of the scene before me.

I have always thought that part of what makes photographs of lakes beautiful is the reflections we see there.  But, what is it that makes for a good reflection?

For one thing, the lake needs to be free of debris.  A stagnant lake that is covered with algae or, even lily pads will reflect very little. 

Then too, a lake must be perfectly still in order to be a good mirror.  Even a little breeze rippling the surface or the wake of a passing boat will be enough to break up the reflections in a lake's surface.

This world would tell us that we need to be ourselves -- our own best selves.  As nice as this thought is, it is far better to be a reflection of Jesus Christ.

In putting that into action, we must clear all of the "debris" that would obstruct such a reflection.  Things like anger, pride, and envy must go if we are to mirror Jesus' perfection.

Then, we must be at peace.  In tranquility it is far easier to express His presence, while a life in turmoil will be far removed from showing Christ and who He is.

This is our goal -- to reflect the love, compassion, and humility that Christ showed to us.  While we might be interesting to look at in our own right, it is when we reflect Jesus that the beauty will shine forth.

I pray that someday people will look at me and no longer see me at all, but rather a mirror, a reflection of my Savior -- pure and peaceful like the surface of a lake.

Eggplants and Encouragement

"We brought you something today," Linda told me.

Linda was a patient of mine, who while she was eighty years old, still stayed very active working in her garden.  Her daughter, who was sitting next to her, handed me a bag.

"Oh, wow!"  I exclaimed, opening it.  "They're beautiful!"  And beautiful they were.  For, they had brought me three eggplants.  Whether or not you like to eat them, eggplants are a very pretty vegetable (although I just read that technically they are actually a fruit).

"Thank you so much,"  I told them both.

It is not unusual that patients of mine bring me in produce from their gardens or, candy and cookies at Christmas time.  One family even gave me some (very snazzy) Christmas socks one year.

I often wonder what folks in big cities bring their family doctors?  I can't imagine, but I have a feeling that it doesn't happen very often in urban areas.

The thing is that while I don't really need these things, I know how much work goes into getting vegetables to the point of harvest.  Even more than that, it is a gesture that tells me that my patients appreciate me and the things I do.

I am afraid that this idea is lost for many people.  Even though a person is "just doing their job," they still need an encouraging word now and then -- something to let them know that they have been noticed and appreciated.

It isn't easy to do this.  It's a whole lot easier to find fault than to remember to compliment a job well done.  At the same time, we have no idea what a difference it will make to someone else's day.

It is just like a couple of eggplants given to a doctor on a busy afternoon.  It is something small, but somehow the doctor smiled a lot more after that.

Reach out. 

Notice someone.

Encourage them.

They will be blessed and you will be too.

The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are here!

It is a time when over 10,000 athletes will descend on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to compete in a variety of events ranging from golf to basketball, from swimming to badminton.

Of course I was disappointed to find out that my last chance at the Olympics -- an event called The Elliptical -- will not be featured in the 2016 Summer Games.  It still will be pretty exciting to watch men and women push themselves to their limits.

Each of these athletes has put in thousands of hours of practice to train for their events.  Only one of those competitors will emerge with a gold medal and only three will win any medal at all.

It begs the question "What's the point?"  Why put in hours of grueling effort, only to finish sixteenth or twentieth in the world?

Something worth doing is worth doing, even if we can't be at the best at it.

It is easy to think about this in serving Christ and in showing love to the world around us, but there are plenty of other skills that are worth developing, even if we can't be number one in the world at them or, even stand out in them.

I think about this with regard to photography.  I don't take the greatest photos ever and certainly, there are plenty of photographers who have more knowledge and skill than I do.  When I set up my tripod and watch the sun rise above the still surface of the lake, I am aware that this isn't the first or even the hundredth image that has been made like this.

Still, I set my alarm early and struggle out to take photos at dawn and the Olympic athletes perform their sports as well as they can.  Because it isn't really important what others have done before, it is important what we can do today and can continue to do tomorrow.

Those skills, those memories we make today we will carry with us long past the time when most people have forgotten who won the long jump at the Rio Olympics.  That's plenty of reason to invest time in them today.  Regardless of where we finish, we can enjoy the journey to get there.